NELL NEWS MAY/ JUNE 2021

NELL MEMBER OWNS AND CARES FOR PIECE OF LIGHT KEEPER’S HISTORY

Herb Carpenter and his wife Tracie, who are Charter members of NELL, own a piece of property in York, Maine just down the road from Nubble Light. On this piece of property is a small building that is now used for storage, but back in the early to mid 20’s and beyond it was a local store. That store was opened by Captain James M. Burke who had been a lighthouse keeper in Maine and New Hampshire from 1886-1919, and retired from being the keeper at his last station which was “Nubble light”.

Shortly after Captain Burke retired he opened this fish and bait shop on Broadway, which also sold (according to the signs in an old photograph) ice cream, cold soda, and curiously, real estate. The old photo below is one provided by Herb Carpenter.

To read a full story about Captain James M. Burke during his lighthouse years click on the following link: The Kaptain’s Kolumn #14 – U.S. Lighthouse Society News

So how did Herb Carpenter come to own this special piece of historic property? Back in the late 50’s Herb’s grandmother Rachel B. Carpenter used to visit York every summer and when this property came up for sale she wanted to buy it and use the small building as a “camp” for the summer. As it turned out, family did not think it would be livable without electricity, plumbing etc.,

but the property was bought and Herb’s father, Herbert S Carpenter III, designed and built a little cottage next to what had been the store. A back part of the store was in serious disrepair and was removed from the building, and the front porch area was no longer there, however the only restoration needed to keep the building in decent shape was to lift it and put a new floor in, which Herb’s uncle and cousins did. Through the years, this property was kept in Herb’s family and in 2010 Herb inherited a portion and bought the rest. Herb and Tracie have been keeping it painted and looking good though the years. Although there has always been a small sign on the front of the store naming it as Captain Burke Store circa 1926, recently Herb has decided to commemorate James Burke and his store with a new interpretive sign, to be installed later this spring. I will do an update on this article when it is installed and there are photos.

Below you will find a photo (provided by Herb Carpenter) of the sign that will soon be installed thanks to Mr. Carpenter’s interest in having others know about this historic building. A few other photos of what the store looks like today were taken recently by me while visiting. One of the pictures is a wooden Captain Burke with a mask. It is always a good feeling to know that owners of lighthouse history sites are taking good care of them. As members of New England Lighthouse Lovers, we thank you Herb & Tracie for being good stewards of the history of Captain Burke.

Herb Carpenter also provided a few other interesting photos that I have posted here. The first two are of the inside on the “store” turned storage shed and next is a photo of a Masonic apron Captain James Burke owned and a telescope he used to use, presumably at the lighthouse.

There has been an ongoing feature in NELL NEWS that highlights the life of one of our Board of Director members. This month that board member is our membership chairperson who is Jean Zunda. When I asked how many lighthouses she had visited she replied she had no idea, but that all the lights she has visited have been through trips with either ALF or NELL. We are very thankful for Jean’s hard work as membership chair and her sense of humor. Here is her story in her own words:

Started out life in RI, spirited away when I was six, and returned when I was 47, living a quarter mile from where I started. Took a lot of explaining to my family as to why I would want to return to the frozen north. I told them I gave FL thirty years and if I hadn’t gotten used to the heat by then, I never would. (The unaccounted for 12 years were spent in NY.) Graduated Univ of South Florida with a degree in Ancient Literature in Modern translation. Since that and $1 wouldn’t buy a cup of coffee in those days I wound up as a corporate

bookkeeper in the oldest savings & loan in Orlando. Moved to New York about twenty minutes before The S&L crisis in the eighties and was able to miss all the ramifications of that.

Medically retired after thirty five years in bookkeeping; although the medical excuse was not caused by bookkeeping. I really enjoy lining up those debits and credits. Played semi-pro oboe for over fifty years before that ole medical excuse caused me to call it quits. Not to worry; my oboe found a good home with a masters performance major at BU so I know it’s being taken care of plus I am invited to all the recitals and performances of its new owner. I am currently on the boards of several non-profits: In addition to membership chair at NELL, I am a director of ALF, and secretary of Riverside Renaissance, a local organization dedicated to the improvement of the Riverside section of East Providence RI. I am the former chair of Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse. Discovered lighthouses in the early nineties; have no idea how or why it happened since I moved to inland New York from inland Florida during that time. I remember I was an early subscriber to Lighthouse Digest, back when it was published in comic-book-like form; not the glossy magazine it is now. St Augustine is the first light I climbed; maybe that’s what got me started. A beautiful light right downtown in a beautiful city.

Owls Head is my favorite lighthouse but Marshall Point is my favorite spot in the Universe. I feel so alive there. It’s handy they are so close together.

I first heard about NELL at Jonathan’s in Ogunquit when I was attending the premiere of a segment of a History Channel episode of Save Our History dealing with ALF and its work with lighthouse preservation. We got to see it a few months before it ever aired on TV. http://www.lighthousedigest.com/Digest/StoryPage.cfm?StoryKey=1365 Connie Small was an honored guest at the event and that’s when I got to meet her. I believe it was Doug Hingham – remember him? – who told me about NELL. I joined right after which makes me a member since 2002. It was one of the smarter moves I’ve ever made. I’ve met so many delightful people and have learned so much about lighthouses because of this organization. Through NELL’s (and Frank Carbone’s) persistent preservation efforts often involving auctions I have an amazing accumulation of lighthouse memorabilia. Who knows, perhaps someday my heirs will recycle it to the next generation of NELL members who will be starting their own collections through those same auctions.

LAKE SUNAPEE – SEPTEMBER 17-19, 2021

April 2021

NELL Members:

Plans for the fall meeting (September 17-19, 2021) in Lake Sunapee, NH are underway (again).For those who signed up last year and were looking forward to this event, and for those who didn’t sign up last year, here’s another chance! We had a terrific response for this event when it was scheduled for May 2020 and was postponed because of COVID-19, much to the disappointment of many.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18th - MEMBERSHIP MEETING and CHARTERED BOAT CRUISE

Breakfast is on your own. A free hot continental breakfast is included for those staying at the Sunapee Lake Lodge.

9:30 AM - Sunapee Lake Lodge, 1403 Route 103, Newbury, NH

Membership meeting, including elections and presentation of 2021 Mr. and Ms. NELL

12:30 PM - Town Dock in Sunapee Harbor, 1 Lake Avenue, Sunapee, NH

Board the M/V KEARSARGE for a two-hour (1PM-3PM) cruise to view Burkehaven, Loon Island and Herrick Cove Lighthouses. A member of the Lake Sunapee Protective Association (LSPA) will be on board to narrate. Buffet lunch is included. The boat entrance and the on-board restroom are wheelchair accessible. U. S. Lighthouse Society Passport Stamps will be available on the boat.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19th - BUFFET BREAKFAST and GUEST SPEAKER

8:30 AM –Sunapee Lake Lodge, 1403 Route 103, Newbury, NH

Full buffet breakfast is included in the cost of the weekend’s events.

10:00 AM – Guest Speaker, Author Eric Jay Dolin (See following page for information and bio)

Of course, you may stay wherever you wish. However, the Sunapee Lake Lodge and the Mountain Edge Resort & Spa are again offering a discount of 15% to our members. To receive the discount, use the code “nell21” (lower case) when booking online or by phone. A 2-night minimum stay is required on weekends. For those who want to extend their stay, the discount code is valid from September 15th to September 22nd.

S Sunapee Lake Lodge

1403 Route 103, Newbury, NH Sunapee Lake Lodge - Sunapee Lake Lodge - Home (603)763-2010 (800) 606-5253 (Single rooms and suites)

Mountain Edge Resort & Spa 1380 Route 103, Newbury, NH Mountain Edge Resort (603)763-4600 (877)468-3343 (One and two-bedroom suites)

The cost of the weekend’s events will remain at $90.00 per person. Please make your check payable to NELL and mail to: Kathy Santucci, 38 Lime Kiln Road, Tuckahoe, NY 10707

Please inform me of your plans to attend so I can add your name(s) to the roster.

Be advised that all attendees will be required to abide by all state and local restrictions and protocols, if any, regarding COVID-19, as well as protocols issued by Sunapee Cruises.

Linda Sherlock (617) 697-3325 (lms12356@gmail.com)

We are excited and honored to have Eric Jay Dolin as our guest speaker on Sunday, September 19th at 10:00 AM. Mr. Dolin will give a slide show presentation and talk about his publication, Brilliant Beacons: A History of the American Lighthouses. He will have some of his publications available for purchase.

Lighting the Way: How Lighthouses Illuminate American History:

In a slide-illustrated talk rich in maritime lore and brimming with original historical detail, Eric Jay Dolin tells the story of America through the prism of its beloved coastal sentinels. Set against the backdrop of an expanding nation, Brilliant Beacons: A History of the American Lighthouse traces the evolution of America’s lighthouse system, highlighting the political, military, and technological battles fought to illuminate the nation’s hardscrabble coastlines. Dolin covers a memorable cast of characters including scientists, soldiers, and government officials, but most importantly the male and female keepers who kept America's lighthouses burning. Brilliant Beacons is the most original history of American lighthouses in many decades.

Eric Jay Dolin Bio:

Eric Jay Dolin is the author of fourteen books, including Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America, which was chosen as one of the best nonfiction books of 2007 by the Los Angeles Times and the Boston Globe, and also won the 2007 John Lyman Award for U.S. Maritime History. His most recent book before is A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America’s Hurricanes, which was chosen as one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post, Booklist, Library Journal, and the editors at Amazon. Prior to A Furious Sky, he published Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America’s Most Notorious Pirates, which was chosen as a "Must-Read" book for 2019 by the Massachusetts Center for the Book, and was a finalist for the 2019 Julia Ward Howe Award given by the Boston Author's Club. A graduate of Brown, Yale, and MIT, where he received his PhD in environmental policy, Dolin lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts, with his family.

MaryAnn Clark 5/27

Amy Wininger 6/06 Frank DePasquale 6/10 Irma Streeter 6/16

Walt Mills 6/24 Ellen Granoth 6/28

Bill & Odette Kent 5/01 Bob & Sharon Mills 5/09 Bob & MaryAnn Scroope 5/28 Tom & Arlene Pregman 6/21 James & Nancy Cope 6/24 Henry & Arlene Winkleman 6/29

We wish Ron Foster a quick recovery from the long-awaited back surgery he’ll have April 29.

Best Wishes to Walt & Laurel Mills on the birth of a granddaughter Cora.

HELP NELL FUNDRAISE WHILE SHOPPING

Keep supporting the fundraising efforts of New England Lighthouse Lovers when shopping on Amazon. It’s easy!

1. Sign into your Amazon account using the website: smile.amazon.com 2. Select New England Lighthouse Lovers as your charitable organization 3. Shop as you usually do!

Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization you chose.

Smile.Amazon.com is the same as Amazon.com – Same products, same prices, same service. But to generate donations you must shop at smile.amazon.com.

Spread the word to your family and friends to help support NELL. Shop at smile.amazon.com whenever you shop online. Thank you for your support!

OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST

Check out the latest Zoom trips on the http://www.newenglandlighthouselovers.org website –the first presented in March by Tom Pregman of his trip to South Carolina & Georgia in May of 2015 . It is a very informative program with beautiful photos. Another presented in April by Bob Taylor of his trip to Puerto Rico.

Check this out if you might want to travel to Door County in Michigan and attend the Spring or Fall Festivals as tickets are on sale now.

https://shar.es/aoUYES

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This is an interesting article with neat photos of the illusive Monomoy Light that NELL tried to get to and climb, but unfortunately the water conditions that day only allowed us to circle the island and see it from a distance.

A remote lighthouse on Cape Cod: Photos of Monomoy Light

On the next page is an article sent by Bob Taylor about the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse that he has been involved with for the last 19 years.

How Do You StabilizeThe Hudson-Athens Lighthouse on the Hudson River? The company, aquasurvey.com from New Jersey was hired to do an engineering study and in the process the company was looking for a way to advertise their ability to analyze a river bottom for advertising and to generate future sales. In February 2021 they asked a number of volunteers of the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society (HALPS) to come to Hudson to the Hudson Chamber of Commerce building to be taped one at a time in 40-minute intervals. Don’t come early and you must leave when your time is up. They would then go back to NJ and edit and assemble the show. The NJ folks ask us questions as the camera was rolling. The lighthouse just lucked out as in addition to the survey we get a video of the process. Also we will get an engineering report on how to fix the problem. The analysis also includes divers, with the hose, to go down and examine the bottom piles. There are multiple videos in this document. The very first one to click on is about the lighthouse at Alexandria Egypt which is considered to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It is believed to have been 40 feet tall and was there for 1,500 years until it was hit by an earthquake in 1303. It directed boat traffic off the Mediterranean Sea into the major city of Alexandria, Egypt. It is reported that slaves carried wood to the top and a fire was lit as the source of lighting. In recent years divers have located it in the sea and of course some folks want it brought back and assembled. The next level down on the left is the Hudson-Athens story and the video on the right is the Lidar technology and its application. The different colors indicate the depth of the water. Maximum is 30 feet. Below that are more commercials on the services the company can provide for you. Aqua survey videos

Here is the link: https://www.aquasurvey.com/halps/

Below see a couple photos I’ve taken of Hudson-Athens lighthouse.

Bob Taylor

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

We are well into the new year and there are still some of you who have not renewed your NELL membership. We hope 2021 will be a year of starting over for the entire world and NELL will be ready to go when that happens. Some plans we made for last year will actually happen this year – God willin’ and the crick don’t rise – and we can look forward to seeing our friends and the lighthouses we have all missed. Don’t be left out! Please consider RENEWING your membership.

Renew today, either through the website – http://www.newenglandlighthouselovers.org – or by sending your payment to:

NELL Membership 1 Princeton Ave Riverside, RI 02915-2632

Not sure if you renewed already? Ask at nellmembership@mail.com

General Membership $ 20 Individual $ 30 Dual – Two adults in same household $ 40 Family – Two adults and children under 18 $ 10 Junior – age 6 through 17 $500 Lifetime Individual $800 Dual Lifetime – Two adults in same household

Contributing Membership $ 50 Assistant Keeper(s) $100 Keeper(s) $200 Inspector(s) $other Commissioner of Lighthouses Think of all the ‘What I did During Quarantine’ stories we’ll have when we see each other again. Don’t miss out!

Please Note: The position of Vice President is currently open. This BOD position also oversees NELL trips. Please consider stepping up to help. We are also looking for volunteers who are interested in serving on committees, those who have good ideas for lighthouse preservation, fund raising, suggestions on improving the operations of the club, or just getting more involved. Please contact Henry Winkleman (617) 731-5181 or via e-mail: wink8@mindspring.com The Lighthouse Digest – For each subscription, please use the form on the NELL website. Mail with check to Lighthouse Digest, ATTN: Kathleen Finnegan, P.O. Box 250, East Machias, ME 04630. Be sure to write NELL in the memo section of your check and NELL will receive $10.00 per subscription to go toward restoration and preservation of lighthouses. If you know of a member that needs some cheer, get well wishes, condolences or congratulations, please let Cynthia Bosse – Sunshine Chair know at: bossnjc@comcast.net or call 1(860)688-7347. If you have any knowledge of an upcoming event or news to share, please send it to smills8839@aol.com. All articles and information must be received by the 20th of the prior month to make the publication. Also please let me know your birthday (month & day only) and anniversary so I will be able to recognize you on your special day in our Best Wishes section. Final words from your Editor: As mentioned before, I am technically challenged and learning as I go. I have switched the program I am creating the NEWS in and can now send it via PDF file which I think will be better for more members. Please remember that your ideas and suggestions are welcome as well as articles you’d like to see included in the NEWS. The NELL NEWS is your (the members) newsletter and my position is just as Editor. Sincerely, Sharon Mills